“It was unbelievable. I just sat there, staring at the screen,” said Pepper.

After checking his numbers against the computer he called his wife. “When she saw the numbers she ran out the door to the nearest lottery kiosk to double check to see if someone in Victoria actually won,” he said.

Pepper plans to think about big-ticket items, but rest and relaxation in Vancouver are on the immediate agenda.

“My wife and I will head to the mainland and catch a Canucks game and have a nice dinner,” he said. “In the future, I plan to invest a little and I’d also like to help out my family. The best thing is, this will allow me to retire without selling my house, and that takes a lot of stress out. I still don’t believe it.”

British Columbians collected more than $153 million in Lotto Max prizes in 2018.